as quoted from Rajiv Malhotra (2003), Problematizing God's Interventions in History
“

“the widespread conclusion among Christian mystics that the highest states of contemplation are necessarily fleeting, commonly lasting no longer than about half an hour[45]. This insistence on the fleeting nature of mystical union appears to originate with Augustine, [46]and it is reflected almost a millennium later in the writings of Meister Eckhart, who emphasized that the state of contemplative rapture is invariably transient, with even its residual effects lasting no longer than three days[47].”

— Alan Wallace

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "“the widespread conclusion among Christian mystics that the highest states of contemplation are necessarily fleeting, commonly lasting no longer than about half an hour[45]. This insistence on the fleeting nature of mystical union appears to originate with Augustine, [46]and it is reflected almost a millennium later in the writings of Meister Eckhart, who emphasized that the state of contemplative rapture is invariably transient, with even its residual effects lasting no longer than three days[47].”" in the context of "as quoted from Rajiv Malhotra (2003), Problematizing God's Interventions in History" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Alan Wallace" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Alan Wallace

About Alan Wallace

B. Alan Wallace (born 1950) (Tibetan) Buddhist scholar and writer, PhD. Tibetan translator.